712 



SCABIES. 



propagating most rapidly, as the following table furnished by 

 Gerlach will show : — 



Its first symptom is itchiness, attempts to allay which soon 

 give the animal a ragged appearance, tufts of wool being palled 

 out, leaving white patches. If the animal be caught and the bare 

 parts examined, a slightly prominent pimple of a yellowish rett 

 colour will be observed. Cpon the surface of this pimple a small 

 blister or vesicle soon forms, its contained serosity, being dis-^ 

 cnarged, forms the crust or scab, and at a little distance the 

 parasite may be discovered amongst the woob ff the baru 

 patches be gently rubbed or scratched, the sheep will exprcsa 

 its pleasure by rapid movement of tiie lips or siLacking. 



The parts first attacked are the back, sides, and shoulders, 

 and but very rarely the lowc* parts of the body and limbs. 



The vesicles so'on become confluent and sometimes pustular, 

 the wool is easily detached along Avith the crusts, and the under- 

 lying skin is thickened, wrinkled, inflamed, and scaly. 



The sarcoptic variety Avas discovered in 1838 by Dela^ond.'tho 

 parasite being analogous to the acarus of the human species. 



According to ]\Ir. Fleming, " its first indications are observed 

 on the upper lip around the nostril, and rarely on the eyelids 

 and round the ears, by its appearing as a well-defined veaiclo 

 with a red areola. Very intei^se pruritis causes the animnl to 

 lick the lip, rub the parts against any object it can find, or 

 scratch them with its hind or fore feet.. The vesicle is in this 

 way ruptured, the yellowish serosity 't contains escapes, and 

 forms a round hard crust. Analogous papulae and vesicles appear 

 on the limbs which have been employed in rubbing the lip and 

 nose ; and these parts are soon covered with dense greyish 

 crusts, beneath wliich the sarcoptes congregate. At a later 

 period the disease invades the whole of the face, cheeks, eyelids, 

 and the lower portion of the Unius; though, strange to say, it 

 does not attack those ]iarts of the body covered with wool The 

 diseased patches extend and become more niimerous and co- 



